5 Quick Cauliflower Recipes

I know you have cauliflower sitting in the refrigerator growing older by the day. Make it for dinner or lunch today!

 cauliflower recipes

Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Butter Sauce

1. To make the whole roasted cauliflower recipe with butter Sauce: Preheat your oven to 400ºF (200°C). Trim the bottom of the cauliflower and remove all the leaves and the stem, but without breaking apart. Give it a quick rinse and pat dry.

2. Place the whole cauliflower in a pot and cover with stock, add fresh thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and simmer for 12 minutes.

3. Drain and transfer the cauliflower head in a cast-iron skillet or any oven proof pan. Ladle a little of the cooking stock over the cauliflower then drizzle with melted butter on top. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and pepper.

4. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of your cauliflower, until golden. Baste with cooking juice from time to time. Check with a knife, if it slides in easily, then it’s cooked. You can broil for an extra 2 minutes if you want to give it a bit more color, but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

5. Remove roasted cauliflower from the oven and sprinkle with fresh thyme. Slice, and serve with an extra drizzle of the buttery cooking juices.

Note: For a smokey non-vegetarian version, add crumbled bacon on top of the roasted cauliflower.

PREP TIPS

• When selecting cauliflower, it should have compact curds that are clean. Look for thick, compact, heads of creamy white florets, with no spots or bruising, and firm to the touch.
• Remove the stalk from the head by cutting around it with a sharp knife. When the stalk is removed, the core with the florets attached will be remaining.
• Don’t wash cauliflower until you’re going to cut it up and cook it because residual moist will spoil the vegetable. You can soak it in salted water or vinegar water to force out any insects lodged within the floret.

Grilled General Tso’s Cauliflower Kabobs

INGREDIENTS LIST FOR THE GENERAL TSO’S GRILLED CAULIFLOWER

4 cups cauliflower florets

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce (or coconut amino for paleo and gluten-free)

4 to 6 seeded and stemmed dried red chilies

Chopped spring onion, toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce (or coconut amino for paleo and gluten-free)

2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup vegetable stock

1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce

1 tablespoon grated ginger

4 cloves garlic, grated

1 tablespoon corn starch

General Tso Cauliflower recipe ↓

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your grill. Place cauliflower florets in a large mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons water. Microwave for 5-7 minutes to precook. Allow to cool down and transfer to a Ziplok bag.

2. Whisk the canola oil, corn starch, chili and soy sauce together in a small bowl. Pour over the top of the cauliflower in the plastic bag and toss well to coat. Marinate for 20 minutes.

3. In the meantime, prepare the sauce: Heat the sesame oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stir fry for 1 or 2 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients (soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, vegetable stock, sriracha, cornstarch) and whisk to combine. Bring to a low boil; simmer for 20-30 minutes, until sauce is thickened.

4. Remove cauliflower florets from the bag and thread skewers and grill until tender and golden. When cauliflower is nearly done, brush with the sauce and grill until slightly caramelized. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately garnished with toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallion greens and more sauce on the side. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS LIST FOR THE ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SALAD

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat up a large, non-stick griddle on medium-high heat. Saute the cauliflower florets without any oil, for about 3 minutes, until they get brown marks and soften a little. Transfer cauliflower to a large bowl or shallow plate.

2. Prepare the dressing by whisking olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper together. 

3. Drizzle the dressing over grilled cauliflower and mix well. Serve the roasted cauliflower salad warm or cold. Enjoy

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INGREDIENTS LIST FOR THE LOW-CARB CHEESE CAULIFLOWER FRIED RICE

1/2 head raw cauliflower

8 scallions, thinly sliced

2/3 cup (80g) diced red pepper

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 bouillon cube, crumbled

1/4 cup (50ml) dry white wine

1/4 cup (30g) grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Put cauliflower in the food processor using the shred mode. Put in a microwaveable dish with a couple tablespoons water, cover and microwave on high for 7 minutes, until the cauliflower rice is tender and done to your liking

2. Meanwhile, slice the scallion and dice the pepper. Then, in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, start sautéing the scallions and pepper in butter and oil.

INGREDIENTS LIST FOR THE LOADED MASHED CAULIFLOWER

1/2 cauliflower (approx. 1 pound, 450g)

2 tablespoons vegetable broth

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons butter

3 garlic cloves, grated

1 celery stalk, diced

1 tomato, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons chopped scallion

1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Divide the cauliflower into florets, rinse, drain and add them to a microwaveable bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth and cover with plastic wrap.

2. Microwave the bowl for 5-8 minutes, until cauliflower is cooked through and tender. Discard excess water and allow to cool down for a couple of minutes.

3. Transfer the cauliflower to a food processor or blender and process until you get a cauliflower rice texture. Add the butter, sour cream and garlic and process until you obtain a texture like mashed potatoes. 

4. Transfer to a bowl and add tomato, celery and chopped scallion, mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Transfer to a baking dish and top the loaded cauliflower with cheese and scallion. Place under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese, serve immediately.

Here are a few tips for prepping cauliflower for cooking:

Don’t toss the stalk and leaves of the cauliflower head! The leaf, stalk, and florets can be eaten raw or cooked. So the leaves are edible and quite delicious; you may want to include them in your cooking, especially for adding to soup stocks. Peel and cut the stalks so they’re about the same size as the florets you’re using to ensure even cooking.

To cut a head of cauliflower into florets, quarter the cauliflower head through the stem end and cut the small piece of core from each quarter. Then cut the cored cauliflower into bite-sized florets.

Rinse the cut up pieces of cauliflower in a colander to remove any residual dirt. Use a paper towel or a clean kitchen towel to pat them dry before cooking.

Cauliflower is available in grocery stores all year-round. Peak seasons are generally in the spring and fall, depending on the climate in your region.

Cauliflower should be left unwashed when storing. Store in the refrigerator, with the stem side down, in a loosely closed plastic bag. This will prevent any excess moisture, which causes the cauliflower to spoil faster.